While conducting research on how law enforcement agencies in other cities resolve citizen complaints, the GPD command staff discovered that cities like Denver, Pasadena and New York have had considerable success with mediation. After learning that the cities with mediation programs reported increased levels of satisfaction for both complainants and officers compared with traditional complaint-handling processes, Chief Miller decided to approach UMC about developing a similar program for Greenville.

The mediation program is offered as an alternative to GPD’s traditional complaint resolution process and participation in the program is strictly voluntary. Both the citizen and the officer must agree to participate.

With mediation, the citizen and the officer meet face-to-face over a period of time and a UMC mediator guides the two parties through a constructive discussion about the incident in a controlled and confidential environment. Each party has an opportunity to tell their side of the story and to explain how the interaction affected them. The mediator then works with the two parties to help them reach a mutually acceptable resolution.

Eligible complaints include complaints about discourteous or rude behavior, complaints of biased-based policing and complaints about a lack of effective communication between the officer and the citizen.

One of the goals of mediation is to alleviate the negative emotions like anger, fear, anxiety, trauma and resentment that often accompany the types of incidents that typically lead to a citizen complaint. Mediation allows each party an opportunity to be heard and understood in a non-threatening, non-judgmental setting. The mediator can help both parties see each other as individuals, which allows them to begin building trust and a more positive relationship. Additionally, mediation empowers both participants by allowing them to have direct control over how the complaint is resolved rather than having someone else decide for them.

The most direct benefit of mediation is that it will help us ensure that one interaction doesn’t result in an overall negative perception of the Greenville Police Department or of law enforcement as a whole. Ultimately, our goal is to strengthen and improve community-police relationships one case at a time. Additionally, our hope is that through mediation, we can build a foundation of trust and respect, and that those positive interactions will have a ripple effect throughout our community and beyond.